The invention relates generally to barbecue grills and more particularly to a barbecue grill having a removable insulated container with lid forming a horizontal shelf adjacent the grill. The insulated container is suitable for use as a cooler and is protected by a heat shield supported by the leg framework structure.
In the hot summer months barbecuing meals and eating out of doors is a popular way to entertain, to enjoy nature and to avoid the heat of a hot kitchen. Barbecue grills for this purpose can take a wide variety of shapes, sizes and configurations, ranging from small charcoal fired hibachi grills to multiple burner gas or propane fired grills mounted upon carts having shelves for convenience. At the typical patio cookout or picnic one often also finds the ubiquitous cooler for containing cold beverages, ice and other condiments and foods requiring refrigeration.
While a suitable grill, a cooler, perhaps a few lawn chairs and the friends or family can offer the makings of a good barbecue or picnic, there is still considerable room for improvement in the grill and cooler art. The present invention offers such an improvement by providing the convenience of a grill having a removable insulated container or cooler which integrally nests in side extensions of the cart. The container is preferably a double-walled and insulated plastic container having a removable and invertible cover which defines a substantially horizontal shelf adjacent the grill for the convenient placement of cooking utensils and the like while cooking. The container or cooler is removably carried by or attached to the grill cart in close proximity to the grill itself. A heat shield protects the container or cooler from the intense heat of the grill heat source. The open top of the container or cooler is formed with laterally extending handles which rest atop the side extending tubular frame of the cart to hold the container in place, allowing the body of the container to extend through and beneath the side extending frame.
The heat shield comprises a rebent or folded sheet metal structure defining two panels interposed between the grill housing and the insulated container. The folded shield defines an airspace between the panels and is further formed with a plurality of elongated slotted openings at the fold. The slotted openings minimize heat transfer by conduction from one panel to the other.
Thus the invention provides the convenience and utility of both a grill and an insulated container or cooler in a single package, with the lid of the insulated container serving as a horizontal shelf adjacent the grill. The mechanism for holding the insulated container in place also serves as handles for carrying the insulated container when it is separated from the grill unit. For a more complete understanding of the invention, its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following specification and to the accompanying drawings.